Guest Blogs

Twenty-one years ago, a few days before my father passed away, I told him I had some big news to tell him. He was lying in bed, weakened from his battle with cancer, when I sat beside him and told him I was going to quit my job as a university professor at the end of the school year and pursue...

It’s been busy here at the newspaper office. We’ve been pushing deadlines, staying up late and working hard to get the newspaper and our annual Ozark County Cookin’ cookbook out to our readers. Last week, after the papers and cookbooks were delivered across the county, I sat down at my desk with...

To read more of retired Gainesville educator Jane Elder’s blog, Ozark Road, visit gainesvillemo.blogspot.com.
It’s that time of year. I should be writing about Thanksgiving. And I am.
Squinting my eyes against the strong November morning sun, I turn to the west and see my beloved Caney peaks in...

Maybe you saw the same news clip I did from a couple of weeks ago titled “Cow escapes in Brooklyn, New York.” It was an aerial video, shot from a news helicopter, of either a steer or bull (it was not a cow, but I doubt too many people in Brooklyn know the difference) that had escaped during its...

To read more of retired Gainesville educator Jane Elder’s blog, Ozark Road, visit gainesvillemo.blogspot.com.
One of my favorite sights and sounds of fall is the flocks of geese flying overhead...going south for the winter. This morning on my walk I could hear their call before I saw them. It...

To read more of retired Gainesville educator Jane Elder’s blog, Ozark Road, visit gainesvilemo.blogspot.com.
Here it is. The end of October, or nearly so. I finally broke down and got out the coats and heavier jackets, washed my winter clothes, bought some new winter shoes, located the caps and...

Whenever I’m working in Washington, my fellow Republicans and I open our weekly meetings with prayer before declaring our allegiance to the American flag. This time of reflection sets our intentions and reminds us that we are truly “one nation under God.” Opening with prayer is a long-held practice...

I’m really more of a dog person than I am a cat person, even though I’ve had both for most of my life. The reason is simple. A dog will always act like it loves you whether it does or not, while a cat acts like … well … a cat.
We have both animals here on the farm, and I’d like to say we do so out...

Tim Prososki’s dad, Ken, second from right, and his wife Nancy, front, along with Tim’s aunt and uncle, Marilyn and Bill McGahan, just happened to be in the audience Sunday night when he was named Branson Show Awards 2017 Steel Player of the Year.

Sometimes life comes full circle in the sweetest, most perfect way.
My in-laws Ken and Nancy Prososki visited us this weekend. They don’t make the trip to the Ozarks very often; it’s a long haul from McClelland, Iowa. Also, much to our delight, my husband Tim’s uncle and aunt, Bill and Marilyn...

The excitement of moving into our new home had faded to the reality of the work of unpacking. As my wife and I were unpacking the last boxes in the garage, our two kids quickly grabbed their bikes to join our new neighbors’ kids playing nearby.
As the youngsters played, we stood on the sidewalk...

Shelby Kinsey and her boyfriend Bailey Elliott pause for a quick photo with children who were able to live in a new home thanks to building efforts by volunteers with Project H.O.P.E. Shelby met Bailey, who stays in Nicaragua as a missionary for the majority of the year, during a recent mission trip. He surprised her on Sunday, March 11, when he walked into Texas Roadhouse In Springfield, where she was celebrating her 17th birthday by having dinner there with her parents, Gary and Heather Kinsey.

After last spring’s monumental flood washed away the gravel boat ramp and much of the bank at Cook’s Landing on Bryant Creek, the Missouri Department of Conservation brought in boulders so drivers wouldn’t accidentally drive off the badly eroded creek bank.

It’s believed Sunday night’s fire started in the kitchen area of the Millers’ manufactured home, but no specific origin has been determined. Four dogs perished in the fire. Gainesville firefighter Sage McGinnis saved a fifth dog from the blaze, but another pet, a basset hound, is missing.